Australian government approves iOS for managing classified data

Government officials Down Under can start doing their happy dance; the Australian Defence Signals Directorate (DSD) has given the thumbs-up for the use of iOS devices for handling data classified at the "Protected" level.

The security evaluation by the DSD is apparently the first of its kind to have been performed on iOS 5, and it opens the door to use of iOS devices by Australian government agencies that have implemented the DSD's advice. A PDF document titled "iOS Hardening Configuration Guide" was developed by the DSD and is available for download here.

Last June, security firm Symantec released their report comparing the relative security of iOS and Google's Android mobile operating system, and found that iOS provided better protection than Android against abuse and service attacks, data loss, and data integrity attacks. According to Symantec, Apple's mobile OS also implements access control, application provenance, and encryption better than Android.

Between the work being done by companies like Symantec and government agencies like the DSD, iOS is definitely finding its place in governments around the world.

[via AppleInsider]